Spring tried its best to make a quiet appearance for Harriet and Joshua’s heart warming wedding in at St Saviour’s in Guildford and Bury Court Barn. When I arrived with Harriet the talk was about the rain. A damp start had given way to some brighter skies. Optimism was the word of the day. With so much of a wedding taking place indoors its really on a few crucial hours that make the difference. There was still time for everything to work out brilliantly. The morning with the girls (and Dad) was all about hot cross buns (it was, after all, the day before Easter) and keeping a dry eye. Harriet gave the Bridesmaids a hand written card (tear jerker number 1) and they in turn gave her a keepsake book (tear jerker number 2). It all descends into hugs and smiles from there. I arrived at St Saviour’s in Guildford and found a familiar scene. The beautiful glass front and classic stained glass windows throwing light everywhere. Similar to my last experience at St Saviour’s the back of the church was ready to host a post wedding ‘cafe’ of cakes, coffee and tea. Joshua was busying himself at the front, staying calm (or pretending) and greeting guests. You’ll certainly find an image of Josh, cheeks puffed and heart racing, to show you how he was feeling just before Harriet walked down the aisle. So many personal touches took center stage during the ceremony. A sermon delivered by family friends, a band of friends (no, really…a band), an iPad streaming the ceremony for a grand mother who wasn’t able to attend and uplifting songs of praise. These guys had the ceremony THEY wanted. Nice. After the ceremony the ‘cafe’ opened and I got to enjoy the lush light and good times as guests mingled. Later, before Harriet and Josh exited the church I was able to catch an image I simply loved. Them in the church, bathed in light, calm and at peace, with everyone else outside, going about their busy routine. Love it. We were off to Bury Court. Always an oasis of amazing on the Surrey and Hampshire borders I love working there. The weather, so important as previously discussed, did us proud keeping dry and sunny enough to get through the family groups outside. A feat for an early spring wedding. Jacaranda, the incredible caterer at Bury Court, had done their usual in making the barn look amazing. Easy pickings for me as a photographer. The rain only started to drizzle at the very end of our couple session. Good timing. Now it was time to wait for the speeches. A wait worth, well, waiting for. Harriet’s father was busy preparing for a presentation. You never know how there are going to go. But I need not have worried. Perfectly was the answer. Old photographs of Harriet. Pictures of important people from the past (some who were there) and even messages from sky divers in New Zealand. A lot of work went into a great presentation. After the cake was cut, the band (yep…the same one) was ready to kick the evening off. I enjoyed a few dances (photographically mind you) before I said my goodbyes. A brilliant day of loving people.
